Woman On House Arrest Accused Of Violation

May 3, 1989|By KURT GREENBAUM, Staff Writer

When selling crack in peace, there`s no place like home.

Law enforcement officials say that was the attitude of Heather Bradford, who was serving a two-year house arrest sentence when they caught her with 20 grams of cocaine during a routine visit by a probation officer.

``The officer was leaving and someone offered to sell him a cocaine rock cheaper than he could get it inside (Bradford`s) house,`` said Tom Slingluff, a Palm Beach County probation supervisor.

Surprised to hear that Bradford`s home on Marguerita Drive in West Palm Beach was a marketplace for cocaine, probation officer Richard Thiele went back and investigated, Slingluff said.

The arrest could mean five years of state prison for Bradford, 19, who has received two chances to avoid prison after she pleaded guilty to vehicular homicide in April 1987.

After the guilty plea, Circuit Judge Tom Johnson sentenced Bradford to two years` probation. When police arrested her for drunken driving in June 1988, Johnson put her on house arrest, forbidding her to leave home without a probation officer`s permission.

Johnson was philosophical when he heard of Bradford`s most recent arrest.

``It`s bound to happen,`` he said.

Prosecutors have not filed charges relating to the cocaine that was discovered, but they hope to persuade Johnson to revoke the house arrest and put Bradford in prison.

``We asked for prison last time and we`ll ask for prison again,`` said Assistant State Attorney Mary Ann Duggan. ``That kid is messed up.``

Bradford`s arrest last week is similar to another case in July before Johnson.

Delray Beach police arrested George Tyson three months after Johnson sentenced him to a year of house arrest on unrelated drug charges.